GETTING A GRIP 151confidence in its quality. Thumbs up is almost always a nonverbal sign of
high confidence. Interestingly, it is also associated with high status. Look
at photographs of John F. Kennedy and notice how often he carried his
hands in his coat pocket, thumbs sticking out (see figure 51). His brother
Bobby did the same thing. Lawyers, college professors, and doctors are of-
ten seen grasping their lapels simultaneously with their thumbs up in the
air. There is a national chain of fashion/portrait studios that invariably has
females photographed with at least one hand clutching their collar with a
thumb in the air. Apparently the marketing team at this company also
recognizes that thumbs up is a high-confidence or high-status display.
Often seen with high-status individuals,
the thumb sticking out of the pocket is a
high-confidence display.Fig. 51